Joshua Pitts was born in Idle in 1862, the son of John and Ruth (nee Skirrow) Pitts. His mother sadly passed away when Joshua was only four years old, only five years after her marriage to John. In their short time together, the couple had three children; Joshua, Phebe Ann and Sarah Hannah who sadly passed away at five years old. John remarried in 1871 to Mary Baxter and by 1881 the family were living in Chapel Street, Eccleshill.
When Joshua married Sarah Elizabeth Pitts in 1891, it was the first marriage to take place in the newly built Congregational Chapel in Victoria Road, Eccleshill. To commemorate this occasion, the Deacons presented the couple with a bible. Later that year the couple were living at Victoria Place, Eccleshill and had welcomed the birth of a daughter, Florence.
Joshua was working as coal agent at that time but over the following decade Joshua’s business prospered and he established himself as coal merchant, employing others. By now the family were living at Ivy Grange, Wellington Road.
Joshua was known to be a religious man and was well respected in the district. He became a member of the Congregational Chapel in 1882 and devoted much of his life to its work. He served as a Deacon for more than 40 years and for the same length of time a teacher in the Sunday School. Alongside these responsibilities he also led the Young Men’s Class, a commitment he maintained for over twenty-five years.
Joshua died in in 1928, just a year after the passing of his wife Sarah. The couple are buried together, alongside Sarah’s father, Thompson Pitts, who died in 1909.
Location: Section 5 R14